Lacing device.



G. W. AYRES.

LAGING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1912. RENEWED 111111. 5, 1914. 94,357.

Patented Apr. 21,1914.

,WIIIII M m I l I u u a M U W COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO1.\VASHINGTDN,D.C.

TED SATJES PATENT FFECE.

GEORGE W. AYRES, 0F ROLLA, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO EDWARD A. DEAN AND ONE-FOURTH TO G. A. SKYLES, BOTH OF BOLLA, MISSOURI.

LACING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914..

Application filed June 25, 1912, Serial No. 705,897. Renewed March 5, 1914. Serial No. 822,768.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gozoncn WV. Arnns, citizen of the United States, residing at ltolla, in the county of Phelps and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lacing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in lace holding devices and the object of my invention is to provide a device which will take the place of both the eyelets and lacing hooks now commonly employed on lace shoes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a pair of co-acting jaw members hingedly secured to each other and adapted in closed position to form a loop throu h which the lace passes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple and strong means for securing one of these arms to the shoe or other element which is to be secured by the lacing.

A further object of my invention is to so form and hinge the arms that all strain exerted upon the device by the lace when the latter is in place will act to lock the arms in closed position and so maintain the loop.

A further object of my invention is to so form the free ends of the coacting jaws that when in closed position they interlock one with the other and thereby prevent longitudinal distortion of the lace holding loop. And a still further object of my invention is to provide one of the arms with a laterally directed, rotatable bearing or pulley against which the lacing bears when applied to the device, thereby relieving the lacing of the greater part of the wear ordinarily occasioned by eyelets or hooks and so greatly lengthening its life.

lVith these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illus trated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a laced shoe, showing one form of my invention in operation; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the form of shoe lace holder illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the same device; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of lacing device; Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section of the form shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a perspective ofa still further modification of the device.

All of the figures with the exception of Fig. 1 are upon a greatly enlarged scale in order to clearly show the details of construction.

Fig. 1 illustrates the application of my improved lace holding device upon a laced shoe, the device being employed in place of the customary eyelets and lacing hooks. Although I have shown but one form of the device applied to a shoe, it will be understood that all of the various other forms shown and hereinafter described may be employed in the same manner. It will also be understood that although I have shown the device employed in place of eyelets and hooks on a shoe, it may be used with equal facility in lacing belts, parts of harness or in fact in securing any two elements together where a lace is employed. The shoe conventionally shown at 10 is preferably reinforced along the free edges of its quarter by facing strips 11 of leather, cloth or other suitable material secured to the inner faces thereof and the form of lacing device illustrated as applied thereto and indicated as a whole by the numeral 12 is secured through the quarter and facing in the manner shown. This device includes a pair of co-acting arms 13 and 14 hingedly connected together and a body member 15 to which the arm 13 is hinged. This body member is preferably formed of sheet metal and in any preferred shape and has rearwardly bent, integrally formed prongs 16 which are forced through the leather and facing of the shoe and clenched as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. This plate is provided adjacent its forward edge with a slot 17 through which is passed one end of the arm 13, said arm being bent about that portion of the plate between its free edge and the slot to form a hinge as shown at 18. The arm 13 is preferably formed of relatively stiff sheet metal and having its side portions oppositely extended, intermediate its length and bent toward each other to provide spaced ears 19 which are perforated to receive a pivotpin 20 by means of which the arm 14 is hingedly connected to the arm 13. lhe free end of the arm 13 is enlarged and braced or otherwise shaped to provide a cup-shaped terminal 21. The arm 14 is also formed of metal and has one end perforated to receive the pivot pin 20 and its opposite end bent at right angles to its body portion as shown by dotted lines at 22, said latter portion being circular in section, for a reason which will be hereinafter apparent. The pivotal end portion of the arm 1 1 is preferably curved somewhat as shown, in order to bring its body portion in parallel spaced relation to the body portion of the arm 13 when the arms are in closed or locked position. Rotatably mounted upon the portion 22 of the arm let, is a roller bearing or pulley 23, the ends of which are enlarged to form spaced encircling shoulders 24 and the outer end of which is convex as shown at 25 to seat in the cup-shaped terminal 21 of the arm 13.

In operation, a plurality of devices are attached to the shoe in the manner shown in Fig. l, the arms 13 are swung outwardly about their hinge 19 to space their free ends from the free ends of the bearings 23 and the lace is positioned upon the arm 14 in the manner in which it is usually positioned about a lacing hook, the lace bearing against the pulley 23 and between the shoulders thereof. As will be readily seen, the outward swinging of the arms 13 draw the arms 1 1 toward the body portion 15 of the device and therefore when strain is applied on the lacing to bring the free edges of the quarters of the shoe together, the pull upon the arm 14, acting through its hinge connec tion with the arm 13, causes the latter to swing down until its cup-shaped terminal 21 engages over the convex head of the pul ley bearing 23, thereby forming a loop inclosing the lace. Because of the interengagement of the cup-shaped terminal 21 and the end of the pulley hearing, all strain which might otherwise straighten the portion 22 of the arm 14 will be equally divided between the arms 13 and 1e and all longitudinal distortion of the loop will be prevented.

In Figs. a and 5 I have illustrated a modified form of the device, embodying the same general principles, including a body member 26 similar to the body member 15 and having prongs 27 for engagement with the shoe, an arm 28 pivoted by one end to the body member 26 and a second arm 29 pivoted by one end to the intermediate port-ion of the arm 28. In this form of device both the arms 28 and 29 are formed of relatively stiff sheet metal and the arm 28 is provided intermediate its length with extended portions bent at right angles to the body portion to form spaced perforated cars 30 for the reception of the pintle pin 31 of the hinge joint, said pin also passing through similarly formed ears 32 upon the rear end of the arm 29. The free end of the arm 31 is provided with a hooked terminal 33 and the free end of the arm 29 is bent outwardly at right angles to the body portion as shown at 34 and then inwardly in parallel spaced relation to the body portion as shown at 35. The free end port-ion of the arm 29 is bent to form a hook 36 in which the hook 33 seats when the arms are in active or closed position. The body portion of the arm 29 and the terminal portion 35 of said arm are provided with alined perforations through which is passed a pin 37 upon which is rotatably mounted a roller bearing or pulley 38 against which. the lacing engages when the device is in operative position. As will be readily seen, this device, as far as its working principles are concerned, is identical with the device previously described and any detailed description of its operation is therefore unnecessary. The interlocking hooked terminals 33 and 36 of its arms serve to main tain the loop and hold the same against longitudinal distortion in the same manner as do the interfitting terminals of the arms 13 and 1% of the form of device previously described.

The form of device illustrated in Fig. 6 is also formed of wire and includes a U-shaped staple 62 by means of which the device is secured to the shoe, an arm 63 hingedly connected by one end to the bight portion of the staple, and a second arm 6% hingedly connected to the central portion of the arm 63. The arm 63 is formed from a single piece of wire bent upon itself intermediate its length to form parallelly extending body members and having its bight port-ion bent at right angles to the body portion as shown at 65. The side portions of the body of this arm are bent intermediate their length to form eyes 66 for the reception of the pivot pin 67 and the free end portions of said sides are extended and bent about the bight portion of the staple 62 as shown at 68 to hingedly connect the arm 63 to the staple. The arm 6st is also formed from a single piece of wire, one end of which is bent about the pivot pin shown at 69 and that portion of the wire adjacent said end is bent into an angle as shown at 70 to provide a body portion for the arm 6-1 which in active position of the arms extends in parallel spaced relation to the body portion of the arm 63. The terminal of the wire beyond the body portion 6% is bent upwardly at right angles to receive the bearing sleeve 71 and the portion of the wire beyond the bearing sleeve is bent into parallel spaced relation to the body portion of the arm 64: as shown at 72 and then bent upwardly to provide a terminal 73 for engagement in the bight portion of the looped terminal of the arm 63 when the arms are in active position. This latter form of fastener is secured to the shoe by the staple 62 and in operation, the arm 63 is swung about the bight portion of the staple as a pivot to permit the introduction of the lace between the terminal 73 of the arm 64tand the hinged portions of the arms. When the lace has been so positioned, strain upon the lace will draw the arm 64- away from the staple 62 in such a manner as to cause the arms 63 and 64: to swing to closed position, the locking oi the terminal 73 through the portion 65 of the arm 63 preventing the longitudinal distortion of the loop formed by the arms in case of undue strain applied upon the lace.

As will be apparent upon examination of the drawings, all of these various forms of the fastening device embody certain fundamental principles in that they all include a body member adapted to be attached to a shoe, and an arm hingedly secured to the body portion. Moreover, they all include coacting arms or the equivalent thereof, said arms forming a lace receiving loop. Moreover, one of these arms is, in each case, provided with either a roller or sleeve bearing against which the lace engages when the device is in operative position, thereby protecting the lace from excessive wear and pre venting fraying and cutting of its edges.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A lace holding device including hingedly connected arms co-acting when closed to form a lace receiving loop, and means for swingingly attaching one of said arms to a supporting element.

2. A lace holding device including hingedly connected arms co-acting when closed to form a lace receiving loop, means operable by the strain of the lace for locking the free ends of the arms together when in closed position, and means for swingingly attaching one of said arms to a supporting element.

3. A lace holder including hingedly connected arms co-acting when closed to form a lace receiving loop, a roller bearing carried by one of said arms, said arms being so arranged and proportioned that strain applied against the bearing by a lace will automatically swing the arms to closed position and lock the same against separation, and means for securing the non-roller carryin arm to a shoe.

4. A lace holding device for shoes includ ing a body portion adapted for attachment to a shoe, an arm hingedly secured by one end to the body member, and a second arm hingedly secured by one end to the intermediate portion of the first arm to form therewith a lace retaining loop.

A lace holding device for shoes including a body portion having prongs by means of which it may be attached to a shoe, an arm hingedly connected to the body portion, and a second arm hingedly connected to the first and co-acting therewith to form therewith a lace retaining loop.

6. A lace holding device for shoes including a body member adapted for attachment to a shoe, an arm hingedly secured to the body member, a second rm hingedly secured to the first and co-acting therewith to form a lace retaining loop, and a rotatable bearing member carriedby one ofsaid arms.

z. A lace holding device including a body member, an arm hingedly secured by one end to the body member, a second arm hing edly secured by one end to the intermediate portion of the first arm, said second arm coacting with the first to form a lace receiving loop, and a rotatable bearing member carried by said second arm.

8. A lace holding device including a pronged body member, an arm hingedly connected by one end to the body member, a second arm hingedly connected to the intermediate portion of the first mentioned arm, said second arm co-acting with the first to form a lace receiving loop when the arms are closed, and means carried by the free ends of said arms for interlocking engagement to maintain the arms in closed position. I 9. A lace holding device including a pronged body member, an arm hingedly connected by one end to said body member, and a second arm hingedly. secured by one end to the intermediate portion of the first mentioned arm, said arms being so proportioned and arranged that their free ends engage each other when the arms are in one position to form a lace holding loop.

10. A lace holding device for shoes including a body member adapted for attachment to a shoe, an arm hingedly connected by one end to said body member, a second arm hingedly connected by one end to the intermediate portion of the first arm, the free end of said second arm being bent at right angles to the body portion, and a rotatable bearing carried by said free end portion.

11. A lace holding device for shoes in cluding a body member adapted for attachment to one of the members to be secured by a lace, an arm hingedly connected to the body member, and a second arm hingedly connected to the first and extending in spaced relation thereto, the free end of said second arm having a laterally directed terminal. which engages against the free end of the first mentioned arm when the arms are swung to closed position.

12. A lace holding device including hingedly connected arms co-acting when in one position to form a lace retaining loop, one of said arms being substantially U-shaped, and means for swingingly connecting one of said arms to a supporting element.

13. A lace holding device including hingedly connected arms co-acting in one posi- In testimony whereof I aifix my signature Mon to form a, lace retalnlng 100p, one of m presence of two wltnesses. sand arms belng substantlally U-shaped, GEORGE M AYRESL [L SJ means for detachably engaging the free end of the other arm with the U-shaped arm, Vitnesses:

and means for swingingly connecting one of HENRY CLEINO, said arms to asupporting element. GEORGE A. SKYLns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the wommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

